Assembly for packaging and dispensing food products,such as french fried potatoes

ABSTRACT

A PACKAGING AND DISPENSING ASSEMBLY FOR SEGMENTAL FOOD PRODUCTS, SUCH AS FRENCH FRIED POTATOES. A PACKAGING SECTION AND A DISPENSING SECTION ARE JUXTAPOSED AND ARE INTERCONNECTED VIA A CHUTE LEADING FROM THE DISPENSING SECTION TO THE PACKAGING SECTION WHEREBY FRENCH FRIED POTATO SEGMENTS SPILLED INTO THE DISPENSING SECTION MAY BE PROMPTLY RETURNED TO THE PACKAGING SECTION. THE PACKAGING SECTION INCLUDES A TOUGH DEFINING A BASE OPENING IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE CHUTE AND A CAROUSEL MEANS WHICH IS ROTATABLE WITH RESPECT TO THE TROUGH. THE CAROUSEL MEANS PROVIDES A SERIES OF GENERALLY POCKET-LIKE PACKAGE HOLDING SECTIONS WHICH NESTINGLY RECEIVE AND HOLD PACKAGES OF THE PRODUCT. THE CAROUSEL MEANS ROTATES TO ENCOURAGE REMOVAL OF A FIRST-IN PACKAGE. AND TO INDICATE VISUALLY WITH IS THE FIRST-IN PACKAGE. THE CAROUSEL MAY ROTATE UNIDIRECTIONALLY. THE CAROUSEL MAY ALSO MOUNT SWEEPER ELEMENTS DEPENDING INTO THE TROUGH FOR CARRYING SPILLED FRENCH FRIED POTATO SEGMENTS TO THE TROUGH BASE OPENING FOR RETURN TO THE PACKAGING SECTION THROUGH THE CHUTE.   D R A W I N G

flarch 20, 1973 iled 0st. 12, 1971 R. E. WEIMER SSEMBLY FOR PACKAGING AND DISPENSING FOOD PRODUCTS SUCH AS FRENCH FRIED POTATOES 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 au p March 20, 1973 R. E. WEIMER ASSEMBLY FOR PACKAGING AND DISPENSING FOOD PRODUCTS, SUCH AS FRENCH FRIED POTATOES Filed 001:. 12. 1971 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 A ANN M. 3 =4? March 20, 1973 R. E. WEIMER fl ASSEMBLY FOR PACKAGING AND DISPENSING FOOD PRODUCTS, SUCH AS FRENCH FRIED POTATOES Filed Oct. 12, 1971 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 United States Patent ASSEMBLY FOR PACKAGING AND DISPENSING FOOD PRODUCTS, SUCH AS FRENCH FRIED POTATOES Ralph E. Weimer, Lombard, 111., assignor to Restaurant Technology, Inc. Filed Oct. 12, 1971, Ser. No. 188,349 Int. Cl. B65b 67/00 US. Cl. 53--390 16 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A packaging and dispensing assembly for segmental food products, such as french fried potatoes. A packaging section and a dispensing section are juxtaposed and are interconnected via a chute leading from the dispensing section to the packaging section whereby french fried potato segments spilled into the dispensing section may be promptly returned to the packaging section. The packaging section includes a trough defining a base opening in communication with the chute and a carousel means which is rotatable with respect to the trough. The carousel means provides a series of generally pocket-like package holding sections which nestingly receive and hold packages of the product. The carousel means rotates to encourage removal of a first-in package and to indicate visually with is the first-in package. The carousel may rotate unidirectionally. The carousel may also mount sweeper elements depending into the trough for carrying spilled french fried potato segments to the trough base opening for return to the packaging section through the chute.

This invention relates to an improved food product packaging and dispensing assembly, and particularly to one to be used in a fast food operation for packaging and dispensing a food product such as french fried potatoes.

Currently, food products such as french fried potatoes are divided into portions and are prepackaged by a filler who places them in containers, such as open-topped bags, for subsequent dispensing to customers by servers as orders are taken by servers. That is a common practice in fast food operations, such as drive-in restaurants. Because the common practice is simply to place the prefilled containers in spaces provided in longitudinal racks, such as a rack illustrated in FIG. 12 of US. Pat. No. 3,255,570, frequently the first packages made up by the bagger or filler are not the first removed for serving by a server.

Furthermore, common bag filling techniques result in the dropping of loose food product segments into such a longitudinal rack, and such spillage sometimes accounts for as many as fifteen servings per hundred pounds of potatoes. Too frequently the spilled potatoes are belatedly returned to the filling station for reuse. Although that is no problem from a sanitation standpoint, often the potatoes returned have become cold, which means that upon the packaging and serving of such potatoes, a customer will receive some that are not of the same quality as the others in the package served.

Those two major problems, i.e., failure of proper rotation of food portions, such as portions of french fried potatoes, and of the loss of food product or return of cold food product to the filling station are overcome in accordance with this invention.

Additionally, the food packaging and dispensing assembly of this invention is easily disassembled for cleaning, embodies a minimum number of parts, and is entirely mechanical.

A food packaging and dispensing of this assembly comprises a packaging section and a dispensing section. The

3,721,063 Patented Mar. 20, 1973 packaging section provides a trough for draining and supporting french fried potatoes from which portions may be withdrawn, as by a scoop of the type described, and in the manner described in US. Pat. No. 3,255,570. Once a bag has been filled, the bag and the associated scoop are moved, as by the filler extending his arm, to the dispensing section, where the bag is tamped into a first available bag support station and the scoop is removed.

The dispensing section desirably comprises a tray defining a trough having a discharge opening in its floor. A chute underlies the discharge opening and opens into the filling trough. Accordingly, any potato segments that drop into the tray trough and that are brought to the discharge opening are directly returned into the filling trough for reuse. The tray rotatably mounts a carousel which provides a plurality of support stations for seating a plurality of bags in a circular array. Each station is preferably proportioned to nestingly receive a bag or paperboard package, and preferably to guidingly receive the bag as it is tamped into the station. The guiding reception of the bag as it is being seated will also serve to index and rotate the carousel.

In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the carousel mounts sweeper elements which depend into the trough and which sweep the trough floor and side walls as the carousel is rotated or indexed. As that occurs potato segments which have been spilled into the trough are promptly carried to the trough discharge opening for return to the filling trough through the chute and before the potato segments have become cold.

The circular arrangement of the carousel assembly support stations encourages first-in first-out removal of packages by providing a clear indication of which is the firstin package, by showing the server where the filler is inserting packages to indicate that the package which is forwardmost of the position to be newly filled is the first-in. That very substantially overcomes the likelihood that any but the first-in food package will be served by a server that is at all observant and conscientious.

To assist in assuring that proper product rotation is achieved, in a preferred embodiment of this invention means are provided for preventing rotation of the carousel assembly in one direction, i.e., means for permitting rotation in a single direction of rotation only. That makes it impossible for a filler or server inadvertently to counterrotate the carousel, and requires the filler to index the carousel incrementally in a single direction and a server is thereby provided with a very positive visual indication of which is the first-in package.

These and other objects, features and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description and drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a food packaging and dispensing assembly of this invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken substantially along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates a food container which the packaging and dispensing assembly of this invention is adapted to utilize;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view stantially along the line 44 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a package supporting subassembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view taken substantially along theline 66 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 illustrates a further food container adapted to be supported on the packaging and dispensing assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged plan view of a portion of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view taken substantially along the arc 9-9 of FIG. 8; and

taken sub- FIG. is an enlarged cross sectional view taken substantially along the line 10-10 of FIG. 1.

Referring first to FIG. 1, a preferred embodiment of a food packaging and dispensing assembly 10 of this invention comprises a packaging section 12 and a dispensing rack section 14. Packaging section 12 desirably provides a filling or packaging trough 15 defined by a rear wall 16, side walls 18 and a sloping floor 22. A portion of the sloping floor 22 is perforated, as indicated by perforations 24, thereby to provide drainage apertures for oil and salt or the like when a food product, such as french fried potatoes, is to be contained in trough 15 for packaging. A suitable drain pan (not shown) may be positioned beneath sloping fioor 22 to collect oil, salt or food particles that pass through perforations 24.

The food packaging and dispensing assembly is especially adapted for use in packaging and serving portions of french fried pototoes, although its use is not so limited. Containers such as bags B (FIG. 3) and paperboard packages P (FIG. 7) are proportioned and designed to be filled with portions of french fried potato segments, as by a bagging scoop S of the character generally illustrated in US. Pat. No. 3,255,570. To that end, potato segments are dumped into trough 15, are drained and salted, and are then ready for portioning and placement into containers such as containers B and P. When the scoop S is not in use, it may be held by a clip 16 positioned at the front edge of packaging section 12.

In accordance with current practices, filled containers, such as bags B and packages P, have been stored in longitudinal racks, such as the rack R illustrated in FIG. 12 of US. Pat. No. 3,255,570. When so stored, there is no convenient way of making certain that the container which was first filled and placed on the rack is the first to be removed by a server who is assembling a customers order. As such, some portions may remain on the rack for too long, resulting in the serving of substandard (cold) order of french fried potatoes.

Frequently, french fries will fall out of filled packages as they are tamped into a longitudinal rack. Those potatoes are often returned to the filling station belatedly, and after those potatoes have become cold.

In accordance with this invention, dispensing section 14 is configured and arranged to insure that french fry containers first filled are those which are first removed for serving from the dispensing section and to provide means for promptly returning spilled and overflow french fries to the filling station, in this case filling trough 15, before they become cold.

Dispensing section 14 includes a frame member which comprises a center plate 38 from which a front wall 32, side ribs 34 and a rear reinforcing rib 36 depend. Center plate 38 defines a central mounting opening 40. A side rib 34 is proportioned to overlie a side wall 18 (see FIG. 2), thereby to assist in maintaining packaging section 12 and dispensing section 14 in close adjacency, and, as will become apparent, to properly position a return chute.

A generally circular tray 42 is supported in mounting opening 40. Tray 42 defines a peripheral support rim 44 which overlies the inner peripheral edge of center plate 38 thereby to suspended tray 42 in opening 40. Tray 42 provides an open-topped annular tray trough 46. An outer Wall 48, an inner wall and an integral base or floor 52 define the trough 46. As seen in FIG. 4, in transverse cross-section walls 48 and 50 diverge upwardly from floor 52. Tray 42 is proportioned and shaped with respect to mounting opening 40 so that the intersection of the upper edge of wall 48 and rim 44 lies in close adjacency to the peripheral edge of opening 40, thereby to resist relative movement between the tray and the frame member 30. At its center, tray 42 provides a centrally aperture flat section 54. A bushing 56 which is coaxial with aperture 58 is secured to fiat section 54.

Tray floor 52 defines a discharge opening 60. It is through discharge opening 60 that french fries which fall 4 into tray trough 46 are returned to packaging trough 15. As seen in FIGS. 2, 4 and 10, a sloping floor 64 of a chute 62 underlies discharge opening 60. Chute 62 further comprises a pair of side walls 66 and mounting ears 68. Mounting ears 68 define a U-shaped channel proportioned to slidably receive adjacent cut out edge portions 70 of a trough side wall 18. Accordingly, it will be seen that food which drops through trough opening 60 will fall onto sloping floor 64 for direct return to packaging trough 15.

Either filling trough side wall 18 may be cut out to mount a chute 62 so that the dispensing section 14 may be mounted either at the left or the right of section 12, simply by rotating the tray trough 180 to position the discharge opening at the right or left to overlie a chute 62. Side walls 18 may be prepunched with knockouts at each side or section 12 may be separately supplied in left-hand and right-hand models for use with a single section 14.

Dispensing section 14 further comprises a carousal assembly which includes a central hub 82, a mounting spindle 86 and a coaxial bearing shoulder 84 (see FIG. 4). Mounting spindle 86 projects downwardly through aperture 58 and bushing 56. Hub shoulder 84 is supported on fiat section 54. Accordingly, hub 82 and spindle 86 are adapted to rotate with respect to tray 42 and to provide an axis of rotation about which the carousal assembly may rotate. Hub 82 also mounts a plurality of support elements or spokes 88 which, in the embodiment illustrated, are four in number and which are disposed horizontally and at ninety degree intervals. Support spokes 88 are sufficiently strong, together with central hub 82, to support suitable sweeping means, suitable package supporting means. and a load of filled containers B and P.

A main package support assembly 90 is seen to comprise a mounting ring 92 which defines a plurality of spaced, uniformly generally V-shaped notches 94. Ring 92 also defines suitable apertures 96 through which spokes 88 project in a press fit to rigidly interconnect ring 92 and spokes 88. Ring 92 is proportioned to mount a plurality of package support members 98. Each package support member 98 comprises a pair of expansive wall surfaces or leg elements 100 which slope downwardly and outwardly from a central Web 102. Leg elements 102 extend downwardly against confronting surfaces of notches 94, whereas central web 102 rests upon upper ring segments 104. The package support members 98 are secured, as by welding or brazing, to the edges of notches 94 and to the upper ring segments 104.

As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 8, web 102 is generally trapezoidal in plan view, extends radially of the carousal assembly and is wider at its outermost edge than at its innermost edge. As seen in FIGS. 8 and 9, this arrangement provides finger access openings or notches N enabling a server easily to reach between adjacent bags B to facilitate the removal of bags from the package support assembly 90.

It will be seen that leg elements 100 slope inwardly and downwardly toward the base of tray trough 40, and along the edges of the V-notches 94, but that they are spaced apart at their lower edges. That is so that food product segments, such as french fried potatoes will not catch and be held by the leg elements. The downward sloping also assists in guiding a bag into a nestingly supported position on support assemly 90 and in indexing the carousal.

Each support spoke 88 mounts a sweeper member 110. Each. sweeper member lies in close proximity to the trough walls. Each sweeper member provides spaced hinge elements 112, 113 Which are pivotally supported on a spoke 88. Sweeper member further provides a depending sheet metal section 114 integral with hinge members 112, 113 to which a plastic wiper blade 115 is secured, as by screws 116. A vertical notch 119 is defined by section 114 and blade 115, so that a sweeper member will straddle ring 92 and so that it will freely pivot and swing on a spoke 88.

As seen in FIGS. 4 and 10, sweeper members 110 are longer in their vertical dimension than the distance from the axes of the spokes 88 to trough floor 52. Accordingly, each sweeper member 110 is disposed at an angle, such as that illustrated in FIG. 4, as it is caused to traverse the floor of trough 46 by rotation of carousal assembly 80 about the axis of mounting spindle 86. As illustrated in FIG. 4, trough floor 52 provides a plurality of upwardly extending embossments or dimples 117 which are positioned to engage the lower edges 118 of sweeper members 110. If the carousal assembly 80 is rotated in the reverse direction R (FIG. 2) so that the lower edges 118 of the sweeper members contact the dimples at the angle illustrated in FIG. 2, the dimples will resist movement of the carousal assembly therepast. However, when the carousal assembly is rotated forwardly, in the direction of arrow F in FIG. 2, the sweeper members will ride over dimples 117 without impeding the motion of the carousal assembly. In that manner, carousal assembly 80 is mounted on tray 42 for unidirectional rotation. Of course, other well-known means for providing unidirectional movement may be utilized, such as, for example, a ratchet mechanism (not shown) associated with the tray 42 and mounting spindle 86.

In addition to providing support members 98 for such as bags of french fried potatoes, carousal assembly 80 also provides a supplemental support assembly 120. Supplemental support assembly 120 comprises a central housing member 122 defining, in the embodiment illustrated, four upstanding generally vertically disposed walls 123 from each of which a formed wire rack member projects.

As seen in FIG. 6, walls 123 may be arcuate in cross section to be complementary in shape to the back wall of packages P. Rack members 124 each provide a pair of spaced horizontal wire elements 125 adapted to nestingly receive the base of a package P and a forward upstanding wire section 126 nestingly to confront the front of a package P. Such a supplemental support assembly 120 will nestingly receive and hold a plurality of packages P, generally in the manner illustrated in FIG. 4.

Housing member 122 is proportioned to be mounted on central hub 82 and desirably each wall 123 defines a notch 128 at its lower edge to accommodate, embrace and receive a spoke 88, thereby stably to support assembly 120.

In use, a food container such as a bag B or package P is filled as by a scoop S, generally in the manner described in US. Pat. No. 3,255,570. To that end, the scoop is moved in trough 15 toward wall 16 to scoop up a serving portion of food product, such as french fried potato segments. Desirably an associated bag is positioned on the discharge segment of the scoop and the associated bag and scoop are moved in the trough together. Thereafter the bag and scoop are moved to the dispensing station, as by the fillers extension of his arm. The potatoes are then tamped into the bag by seating it with a slight downward force into a supporting station S, i.e., into the pocket defined by a confronting pair of leg elements 100. The sloping leg elements, it should be noted, tend to cam the bag into place and to index the carousal. The scoop is then removed and any potato segments which were dislodged during tamping or scoop removal fall through the openings between the support elements and other carousal parts, and into tray trough 46.

The filling and placement steps are repeated, each time causing the carousal to be indexed a distance approximately equal to the circumferential extent of a supporting station The bagger or filler is always careful to place new bags behind the old so that a server will be encouraged by the position of the food product first to take the oldest of the bags in the carousal. Particularly where unidirectional rotation is provided, as by means of the sweeper means and dimples as described, it will be convenient for the filler or bagger to place the bags one behind the other only.

A bagger or filler normally will stand in front of the packaging section 12. When he extends his arm to place a bag in a support station it will be most convenient to deposit a bag generally in the vicinity of the position marked FILL in FIG. 1. Especially when the carousal is mounted for unidirectional movement, but in any event, when a new bag is seated on the carousal it is placed behind the previous bag. Upon each seating of a new bag, the carousal is then indexed, as a matter of convenience of operation by the bagger, in the clockwise direction. Accordingly, a server need only remove the bag which is the most remote clockwise from the filling position to be certain that he has removed the first-in bag.

As the carousal rotates, french fries which have dropped into trough 42 are automatically carried along by the sweeper members until they cross discharge opening 60. At that time, the french fries will drop into chute 62 and will be returned to the packaging section, for prompt reuse.

When containers such as packages P are to be filled, they are filled in the manner described and are seated on supplemental support assembly These also rotate with carousal assembly 80, also to encourage first-in first-out usage.

Assembly 10 is proportioned to fit into suitable cabinetry, as in a space defined by a cabinet frame 200 (FIG. 1). Cabinet frame 200 may mount a mirror 202 (FIG. 4) which is a frequently encountered accouterment at french fry bagging stations.

Although french fried potatoes have been referred to in connection with the preferred embodiment, it is clear that other segmental food products may be handled in like manner.

Although the carousal assembly described herein has been found to perform the functions described herein quite well, it is clear that its specific construction may be varied. For example, a bag supporting assembly could be molded of plastic or could be formed of sheet metal so as to define a plurality of circumferentially spaced bag receiving and supporting pockets in which pockets bags may be nestingly received or embraced. Such pockets may embrace the entire periphery of the bag, or may be open sided, as are the support station pockets S, thereby to facilitate sidewise removal of the bag, rather than requiring vertical removal of bags which fully enclosed pockets would necessitate.

Further, although the rack assemblies described are wholly mechanical, making disassembly for cleaning simple, it is of course possible to provide an appropriate motor and an interconnected indexing mechanism for rotating the carousal means. Such a driving and indexing means may be constructed to operate automatically, as via an appropriately situated electric eye means or the like.

Those and other modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing specification and appended drawings. Accordingly, this invention is not to be considered as being limited, except in accordance with the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A food dispensing rack comprising frame means for supporting a tray, a tray supported on said frame means, said tray providing wall means defining an open topped continuous trough and a discharge opening in the base of said wall means, a carousal assembly mounted on said food dispensing rack for rotation relative to said tray, sweeper means depending from said carousal assembly into said trough and being in close proximity with said wall means to carry objects in said trough along said wall means to said discharge opening, and said carousal assembly further comprising a plurality of package support means, each being proportioned to nestingly receive and support a plurality of individual food packages.

2. A food dispensing rack in accordance with claim 1 in which said trough is generally annular in shape.

3. A food dispensing rack in accordance with claim 2 in which said sweeper means comprises a plurality of individual spaced sweeper elements, each being individually pivotally mounted on said carousal assembly.

4. A food dispensing rack in accordance with claim 2 further comprising means for preventing rotation of said carousal assembly in one direction of rotation.

5. A food dispensing rack in accordance with claim 4 in which said rotation preventing means comprises a plurality of dimples formed in said wall means and projecting inwardly of said trough.

6. A food dispensing rack in accordance with claim 1 in which each said package support means comprises first and second package engaging arms and a central connecting member, a pair of first and second arms of adjacent support means being spaced nestingly to receive and support a food package.

7. A food dispensing rack in accordance with claim 6 in which said connecting member in plan view is narrower inwardly of said carousal assembly and is wider outwardly of said carousal assembly, thereby to provide finger access openings between packages when packages are supported on said arms.

8. A food dispensing rack in accordance with claim 1 wherein said trough is circular in plan view and said wall means comprises a pair of upwardly diverging side walls interconnected at their lower edges by a generally horizontal base.

9. A food packaging and dispensing assembly comprising a filling trough for receiving a food product to be divided into serving portions and to be disposed in serving packages, a food dispensing rack assembly ad jacent thereto, said food dispensing rack assembly comprising a frame, a tray supported on said frame, said tray defining an annular open-topped tray trough, said tray trough defining a discharge opening in its base, a chute interconnecting said food discharge opening and said filling trough whereby food product in said tray trough may drop through said chute for return to said filling trough, said food dispensing rack assembly further comprising carousal means providing pocket means for supporting a plurality of packages of food product, said carousel means being mounted for rotation relative to said tray, and means for periodically sweeping food product in said tray trough to said discharge opening for direct return to said filling trough through said chute.

10. A food packaging and dispensing assembly in accordance with claim 9 in which said sweeping means comprises a plurality of individual spaced sweeper elements, each being pivotally mounted on said carousal means.

1 1. A food packaging and dispensing assembly in accordance with claim 9 further comprising means for preventing rotation of said carousal means in one direction, whereby said carousal means may rotate only unidirectionally with respect to said tray trough.

12. A food packaging and dispensing assembly in accordance with claim 11 in which said rotation preventing means comprises a plurality of dimples formed in said tray trough which dimples project inwardly of said tray trough.

13. A food packaging and dispensing assembly in accordance with claim 9 in which said pocket means com: prises a plurality of support elements each providing first and second package engaging arms and a central connecting member, a pair of first and second arms of adjacent support elements being positioned nestingly to receive and support a food package.

14. A food packaging and dispensing assembly in accordance with claim 9 wherein said tray trough is circular and said wall means comprise a pair of upwardly diverging side walls interconnected at their lower edges by a generally horizontal base.

15. A carousal assembly for a food dispensing rack comprising a hub member mounting a spindle to provide an axis of rotation for said carousal assembly, support elements projecting outwardly from said hub member for supportingly mounting a plurality of package support means outwardly of said hub member, each said package support means comprising a pair of confronting wall surfaces positioned to nestingly receive an individual food package, said package support means being disposed in a circular array about said hub member, each of said package support means further providing finger access openings therebetween which are Wider outwardly of said support means than inwardly of said support means.

16. A carousal assembly in accordance with claim 15 wherein said carousal assembly mounts sweeper means projecting below said package support means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS ROBERT L. SPRUILL, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

